These Truck Bed Campers Are Heavy So Make Your Pick Up Safe To Carry One
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If your truck is equipped with a truck bed camper or a full-sized camper that extends over your cab and beyond your bed, you have a top-heavy load. Top-heavy loads present some unique problems. They can make it more challenging to drive at high speeds, in windy conditions, or going around corners. Top-heavy loads can also affect your suspension, which can cause a condition called squatting. It can cause trailer sway as well.
What Is Squatting in Pickup Truck Terms?
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Squatting is also called trailer sag. This is a condition where a heavy load causes excessive stress on the rear axle of a truck. The truck’s rear end sags lower than it should, which in turn causes the front end to point higher than it should. If your truck has trailer sag, it will be harder to tow a trailer properly, and it will also be harder to drive the truck in general if a camper or heavy load is causing the squatting.
Trailer sag primarily affects steering and stability. You’ll find that your truck’s wheels aren’t as responsive, and the whole ride is likely to feel very unsteady. Squatting can eventually cause other problems like uneven tire tread and damage to your axles. In the short term, you may find it harder to stop, and your truck might even bottom out on the road.
How To Prevent Rear Truck Sag
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There are a few things you can do to upgrade your truck’s suspension and fix truck sag. Ultimately, truck sag is a suspension issue. You might consider investing in new springs, but truck springs should last for a long time in general. The problem comes when you do a lot of heavy hauling or towing. The springs will wear down faster than they should. The solution then is to reinforce your springs with some other upgrades. Rubber helper springs are one way to do this. These springs usually replace the existing bump stops and engage with the axle when the vehicle is loaded.
Other suspension upgrades to consider include the following:
- Heavy-duty shocks
- Torsion bars
- Lift kit
- Suspension tuning
A Timbren suspension enhancement system (SES) is a strong catch-all solution. This system engages when you’re hauling a heavy load and disengages when the load is light. It provides added suspension reinforcement only when needed. The Timbren system snaps onto the underside of your truck over the rear axle. It protects suspension components and requires no maintenance.
What Is Truck Sway?
The other problem besides squatting when hauling a truck bed camper is truck sway. Very simply, this is when uneven weight distribution combined with external forces causes your trailer to sway from side to side. This can be very dangerous as the trailer might tip or cause you to lose control. You might think that trailer sway only applies to towing a trailer, but it can also happen with a truck bed camper. Campers are not very aerodynamic and they also increase the height profile of your truck. This top-heavy situation can cause an uncomfortable ride that feels unstable and unsafe. You might find it difficult to drive at higher speeds due to the feeling of top-heavy swaying.
How To Fix Truck Sway
Swaying is quite common with truck bed campers, but this problem can be reduced with the use of a suspension enhancement system. The Timbren SES installs easily, requires zero maintenance, and doesn’t affect your ride when your camper is unloaded. How exactly does an SES help with camper sway?
The answer lies in the independent rubber springs that support each side of your truck. The springs are only activated when needed to reduce body roll. The reason this independent action works so well is due to the fact that truck campers are often heavier on one side. This off-center load situation eventually causes sway at higher speeds or if there’s strong wind. A Timbren SES is likely to fix most of your issues with truck camper sway. However, if you want to reduce it even further, you can also get a rear anti-sway bar to reduce even more of the dangerous side-to-side movement.
Why Do Timbren Suspension Enhancement Systems Work So Well?
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Timbren SES upgrades are easy to install and they only provided additional suspension strength when necessary. When you need extra suspension strength for heavy loads, the Timbren SES provides the right amount in every situation. You don’t have to adjust or re-pressurize it at any time. A Timbren SES works well for hauling, towing, and off-roading. An empty and regular ride will still utilize your truck’s factory suspension. You can expect your new SES to last for the average duration that you own your truck.
Rely on Timbren Suspension Enhancement Systems to provide the best suspension upgrades for hauling or towing. Our suspension upgrades provide added stability and safety, plus better ride quality. All SES upgrades come with a lifetime warranty, are easy to install, and require zero maintenance.
There are of course numerous ways to go camping and take off-road adventures but all of them require a safe way to get there. Remember Timbren when looking for suspension upgrades for hauling and active off-road bump stops when nature calls from further off-road.
